View source for Religion in Japan

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{{Pie chart
| caption = Religion in Japan by affiliation ([[Pew Research Center]] 2023)<ref>{{cite web |first1=Jonathan |last1=Evans |first2=Alan |last2=Cooperman |first3=Kelsey Jo |last3=Starr |first4=Manolo |last4=Korichi |first5=William |last5=Miner |first6=Kirsten |last6=Lesage |title=Religion and Spirituality in East Asian Societies |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/06/17/religion-and-spirituality-in-east-asian-societies/ |website=Pew Research Center |date=17 June 2024}}</ref>
| value1 = 46
| label1 = [[Buddhism in Japan|Buddhism]]
| color1 = Gold
| value2 = 42
| label2 = No religion
| color2 = WhiteSmoke
| value3 = 2
| label3 = [[Christianity in Japan|Christianity]]
| color3 = Red
| value4 = 9
| label4 = Others
| color4 = DodgerBlue
| value5 = 1
| label5 = Don't know / no response
| color5 = Grey
}}
{{Pie chart
| caption = Adherents among persons claiming a religious affiliation ([[The World Factbook]] 2021 estimate)<ref>{{cite web |title=Japan |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/japan/ |website=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en |date=21 May 2025}}</ref>
| value1 = 48.6
| label1 = [[Shinto]]
| color1 = Beige
| value2 = 46.4
| label2 = [[Buddhism in Japan|Buddhism]]
| color2 = Gold
| value3 = 1.1
| label3 = [[Christianity in Japan|Christianity]]
| color3 = Red
| value4 = 4
| label4 = Others
| color4 = DodgerBlue
}}
[[File:Ganesha Japan.jpg|thumb|250px|From left to right: idols of [[Benzaiten]] ([[Saraswati]]), [[Kangiten]] ([[Ganesha]]) and [[Vaiśravaṇa|Bishamonten]] ([[Kubera]]) in the [[Daishō-in (Miyajima)|Buddhist Daishō-in temple]] in [[Hatsukaichi]]]]
[[File:Takachiho-gawara Kirishima City Kagoshima Pref06n4592.jpg|thumb|250px|A ritual at the {{Transliteration|ja|[[Takachiho-gawara]]}}, the sacred [[Shinto]] site of the [[tenson kōrin|descent to earth]] of [[Ninigi-no-Mikoto]] (the grandson of goddess [[Amaterasu]])]]
'''Religion in Japan''' is manifested primarily in [[Shinto]] and in [[Buddhism]], the two main [[faith]]s, which [[Japanese people]] often practice simultaneously.  Syncretic combinations of both, known generally as {{Transliteration|ja|[[shinbutsu-shūgō]]}}, are common; they represented Japan's dominant religion before the rise of [[State Shinto]] in the 19th century.<ref name=ReischauerJansen215>{{cite book |publisher= Belknap Press of Harvard University Press |isbn= 978-0-674-47184-9 |first1= Edwin O. |last1= Reischauer |author1-link= Edwin O. Reischauer |first2= Marius B. |last2= Jansen |author2-link= Marius Jansen |title= The Japanese today: change and continuity |year= 1988 |edition= 2nd|page= 215}}</ref>

The Japanese concept of religion differs significantly from that of Western culture. Spirituality and worship are highly eclectic; rites and practices, often associated with well-being and worldly benefits, are of primary concern, while doctrines and beliefs garner minor attention.<ref>Kisala, Robert. 2006. Japanese Religions. Pp. 3-13 in ''Nanzan Guide to Japanese Religions'', ed. Paul L. Swanson and Clark Chilson. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.</ref> [[Religious affiliation]] is an alien notion. Although the vast majority of Japanese citizens follow Shinto, only some 3% identify as Shinto in surveys, because the term is understood to imply membership of organized Shinto sects.<ref name="Engler, Price. 2005. p. 95">Engler, Price. 2005. p. 95</ref><ref name="Williams, 2004. pp. 4-5">Williams, 2004. pp. 4-5</ref> Some identify as {{nihongo|"without religion"|無宗教|mushūkyō}}, yet this does not signify [[irreligion|rejection or apathy towards faith]]. The {{Transliteration|ja|mushūkyō}} is a specified identity, which is used mostly to affirm regular, "normal" religiosity while rejecting affiliation with distinct movements perceived as foreign or extreme.<ref>Kawano, Satsuki. 2005. ''Ritual Practice in Modern Japan: Ordering Place, People, and Action''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.</ref><ref>
LeFebvre, J. (2015). [http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4454 "Christian wedding ceremonies: 'Nonreligiousness' in contemporary Japan"]. ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'', 42(2), 185-203</ref>

==Main religions==

===Shinto===
{{Main|Shinto}}
{{See also|Association of Shinto Shrines}}
{{Shinto}}
{{Nihongo|Shinto|神道|''Shintō''}}, also {{Transliteration|ja|kami-no-michi}},{{efn|Both mean the "way of the divine" or "of the gods". Other names are:<ref>Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiv</ref>
* '''{{Transliteration|ja|Kannagara-no-michi}}''', "way of the divine transmitted from time immemorial";
* '''{{Transliteration|ja|Kodo}}''', the "ancient way";
* '''{{Transliteration|ja|Daido}}''', the "great way";
* '''{{Transliteration|ja|Teido}}''', the "imperial way".}} is the [[indigenous religion]] of [[Japan]] and of most of the [[Japanese people|people of Japan]].<ref>Williams, 2004. p. 4</ref> George Williams classifies Shinto as an action-centered [[religion]];<ref>{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=George |year=2004 |title=Shinto |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-hmFOZe7m4MC |series=Religions of the World |location=Philadelphia |publisher=Infobase Publishing |publication-date=2009 |page=6 |isbn=9781438106465 |access-date=12 May 2019 |quote=Shinto is an action-centered religion (one based on actions) and not a confessional religion (one that requires a set of beliefs or a profession of faith).}}</ref> it focuses on [[ritual]] practices to be carried out diligently in order to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient roots.<ref>John Nelson. ''A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine''. 1996. pp. 7–8</ref> The written historical records of the {{Transliteration|ja|[[Kojiki]]}} and {{Transliteration|ja|[[Nihon Shoki]]}} first recorded and codified Shinto practices in the 8th century. Still, these earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified "Shinto religion", but rather to a collection of native beliefs and of [[Japanese mythology|mythology]].<ref name="JapaneseReligion1985" /> Shinto in the 21st century is the religion of public [[Shinto shrine|shrines]] devoted to the worship of a multitude of [[deity|gods]] ({{Transliteration|ja|[[kami]]}}),<ref name="Breen, Teeuwen. 2010. p. 1">Breen, Teeuwen. 2010. p. 1</ref> suited to various purposes such as war memorials and [[harvest festival]]s, and applies as well to various sectarian organizations. Practitioners express their diverse beliefs through a standard language and practice, adopting a similar style in dress and ritual dating from around the time of the [[Nara period|Nara]] (710–794) and [[Heian period|Heian]] (794–1185) periods.<ref name="JapaneseReligion1985" />{{multiple image
| align             = center
| width             = 160
| image1            = Takabe jinja haiden.JPG
| caption1          = {{Transliteration|ja|Takabe-[[Shinto shrine|jinja]]}} in [[Minamibōsō]], [[Chiba Prefecture|Chiba]], an example of the native {{Transliteration|ja|[[shinmei-zukuri]]}} style
| image2            = Isana s02.JPG
| caption2          = {{Transliteration|ja|[[Haiden (Shinto)|Haiden]]}} of the {{Transliteration|ja|[[Izanagi]]-jinja}} in [[Suita, Osaka|Suita]], [[Osaka Prefecture|Osaka]]
| image3            = 131130 Nagaoka-tenmangu Nagaokakyo Kyoto pref Japan12s3.jpg
| caption3          = {{Transliteration|ja|Tenman-gū}} in [[Nagaokakyō, Kyoto|Nagaokakyō]], [[Kyoto]]
| image4            = Kotozakihachiman.JPG
| caption4          = Shrine of {{Transliteration|ja|[[Hachiman]]}} in [[Ube, Yamaguchi|Ube]], [[Yamaguchi Prefecture|Yamaguchi]]
}}The Japanese adopted the word ''Shinto'' ("way of the gods"), originally as ''Shindo'',<ref name="Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxi">Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxi</ref> from the written [[Chinese language|Chinese]] {{Transliteration|zh|[[Shendao]]}} ({{lang-zh|c=神道|p=shén dào}}),<ref name="Sokyo1962">{{cite book |title= Shinto: The Kami Way |publisher= Charles E Tuttle Co |location= [[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland, VT]] |first= Ono |last= Sokyo |edition= 1st |year= 1962 |page= 2 |isbn= 978-0-8048-1960-2 |oclc= 40672426}}</ref>{{efn|During the [[history of China]], at the time of the spread of [[Buddhism]] to that country {{circa}} 1st century CE, the name {{Transliteration|zh|Shendao}} identified what is currently known as "[[Shenism]]", the Chinese indigenous religion, distinguishing it from the new Buddhist religion. (Brian Bocking. ''A Popular Dictionary of Shinto''. Routledge, 2005. ASIN: B00ID5TQZY p. 129)}} combining two [[kanji]]: {{Nihongo||神|shin}}, meaning "spirit" or {{Transliteration|ja|kami}}; and {{Nihongo||道|tō}}, meaning a philosophical path or study (from the Chinese word {{Transliteration|zh|[[dào]]}}).<ref name="JapaneseReligion1985">{{cite book |title= Japanese Religion |publisher= Prentice Hall Inc |location= Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey |first= Robert Ellwood |last= Richard Pilgrim |edition= 1st |year= 1985|isbn= 978-0-13-509282-8 |pages= 18–19}}</ref><ref name="Sokyo1962"/> The oldest recorded usage of the word {{Transliteration|ja|Shindo}} dates from the second half of the 6th century.<ref name="Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxi"/> {{Transliteration|ja|Kami}} are defined in English as "spirits", "essences" or "gods", referring to the energy generating the phenomena.<ref name="Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxii">Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxii</ref> Since the [[Japanese language]] does not distinguish between singular and plural, {{Transliteration|ja|kami}} refers to the [[divinity]], or [[sacred]] essence, that manifests in multiple forms: rocks, trees, rivers, animals, places, and even people can be said to possess the nature of {{Transliteration|ja|kami}}.<ref name="Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxii"/> {{Transliteration|ja|Kami}} and people are not separate; they exist within the same world and share its interrelated complexity.<ref name="JapaneseReligion1985"/>

[[Shinto]] is the largest religion in Japan, practiced by nearly 80% of the population, yet only a small percentage of these identify themselves as "Shintoists" in surveys.<ref name="Breen, Teeuwen. 2010. p. 1"/> This is due to the fact that "Shinto" has different meanings in Japan: most of the Japanese attend Shinto shrines and beseech kami without belonging to Shinto organisations,<ref name="Engler, Price. 2005. p. 95"/> and since there are no formal rituals to become a member of folk "Shinto", "Shinto membership" is often estimated counting those who join organised Shinto sects.<ref name="Williams, 2004. pp. 4-5"/> Shinto has 100,000 [[Shinto shrine|shrines]]<ref name="Breen, Teeuwen. 2010. p. 1"/> and 78,890 [[kannushi|priests]] in the country.<ref name="Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65"/>

====Shinto sects and new religions====
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| width             = 150
| image1            = Shinrikyo02.jpg
| caption1          = Main shrine of {{nihongo|Shinriism|神理教|Shinrikyō}} in [[Kitakyushu]], [[Fukuoka Prefecture]]
| image2            = Sukyo Mahikari Headquarter 02.jpg
| caption2          = Headquarters of [[Sukyo Mahikari]] in [[Takayama, Gifu|Takayama]], [[Gifu Prefecture]]
| image3            = 円応教本部 五法閣.jpg
| caption3          = Headquarters of {{nihongo|[[Ennokyo]]|円応教|En'nōkyō}} in [[Tamba, Hyōgo|Tamba]], [[Hyōgo Prefecture]]
}}
{{Main|Shinto sects and schools}}
{{Further|Japanese new religions}}
Profound changes occurred in Japanese society in the 20th century (especially after [[World War II]]), including rapid industrialisation and urbanisation.<ref name="Earhart, 2013. pp. 286-287">Earhart, 2013. pp. 286-287</ref> Traditional religions, challenged by the transformation, underwent a reshaping themselves,<ref name="Earhart, 2013. pp. 286-287"/> and principles of religious freedom articulated by the 1947 [[Constitution of Japan|constitution]]<ref>Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. pp. 64-65.</ref> provided space for the proliferation of new religious movements.<ref name="Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65">Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65</ref>

New sects of Shinto, as well as movements claiming a thoroughly independent status, and also new forms of [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] lay societies, provided ways of aggregation for people uprooted from traditional families and village institutions.<ref>Earhart, 2013. pp. 289-290</ref> While traditional Shinto has a residential and hereditary basis, and a person participates in the worship activities devoted to the local tutelary deity or ancestor – occasionally asking for specific healing or blessing services or participating in pilgrimages – in the new religions individuals formed groups without regard to kinship or territorial origins, and such groups required a voluntary decision to join.<ref name="Earhart, 2013. p. 290">Earhart, 2013. p. 290</ref> These new religions also provided cohesion through a unified doctrine and practice shared by the nationwide community.<ref name="Earhart, 2013. p. 290"/>

The officially recognized new religions number in the hundreds, and total membership reportedly numbers in the tens of millions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shimazono |first=Susumu |year=2004 |title=From Salvation to Spirituality: Popular Religious Movements in Modern Japan |publisher=Pacific Press}}</ref>{{rp|234–235}} The largest new religion, [[Soka Gakkai]], a Buddhist sect founded in 1930, gathers around 4 million members. Scholars in Japan have estimated that between 10% and 20% of the population belongs to the new religions,<ref name="Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65"/> although more realistic estimates put the number at well below the 10% mark.<ref name="Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65"/> {{As of|2007}} there are 223,831 priests and leaders of the new religions in Japan, three times the number of traditional Shinto priests.<ref name="Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65"/>

Many of these new religions derive from Shinto, retain the fundamental characters of Shinto, and often identify themselves as forms of Shinto. These include [[Tenrikyo]], [[Konkokyo]], [[Omotokyo]], Shinrikyo, [[Shinreikyo]], [[Sekai Shindokyo]], [[Zenrinkyo]] and others. Others are independent new religions, including [[Aum Shinrikyo]], [[Mahikari]] movements, the [[PL Kyodan|Church of Perfect Liberty]], [[Seicho-No-Ie]], the [[Church of World Messianity]], and others.

===Buddhism===
{{Main|Buddhism in Japan}}

{{nihongo|[[Buddhism]]|仏教|Bukkyō}} first arrived in Japan in the 6th century, introduced in the year 538 or 552<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 455">Brown, 1993. p. 455</ref> from the kingdom of [[Baekje]] in [[Korea]].<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 455" /> The Baekje king sent the Japanese emperor a picture of the Buddha and some sutras. After overcoming brief yet violent oppositions by conservative forces, it was accepted by the Japanese court in 587.<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 455" /> The [[Yamato Kingship|Yamato state]] ruled over {{nihongo|clans||uji}} centered around the worship of ancestral nature deities.<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 456">Brown, 1993. p. 456</ref> It was also a period of intense immigration from Korea,<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 454">Brown, 1993. p. 454</ref> horse riders from northeast Asia,<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 455" /> as well as cultural influence from China,<ref>Brown, 1993. p. 453</ref> which had been unified under the [[Sui dynasty]] becoming the crucial power on the mainland.<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 454" /> Buddhism functioned to affirm the state's power and mold its position in the broader culture of East Asia.<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 456" /> Japanese aristocrats set about building Buddhist temples in the capital at [[Nara, Nara|Nara]].<ref name="Brown, 1993. p. 456" /> However, the government's vast investment in spreading Buddhism during the Nara period (646-794) led to corruption, and led to reformation period and a shift in focus from Nara to the new capital of Heian (now [[Kyoto]]).<ref>{{Cite book |title=A History of Japanese religion |date=2007 |publisher=Kosei |isbn=978-4-333-01917-5 |editor-last=Kasahara |editor-first=Kazuo |edition=6. print |location=Tokyo |editor-last2=McCarthy |editor-first2=Paul}}</ref>{{multiple image
| align             = center
| width             = 150
| caption1          = {{Transliteration|ja|[[Tōshōdai-ji]]}}, an early Buddhist temple in Nara
| image1            = Toshodaiji Nara Nara pref01s5s4290.jpg
| image2            = Myoudouji-tenple 1.jpg
| caption2          = {{Transliteration|ja|Myoudou-ji}}, a [[Jōdo Shinshū|Jodo Shin]] temple with distinctive architectural style
| image3            = Daihozan Monjuin 04.JPG
| caption3          = {{Transliteration|ja|Monju-in}}, a [[Shingon Buddhism|Shingon]] temple in [[Matsuyama, Ehime|Matsuyama]], [[Ehime Prefecture|Ehime]]
| image4            = Interior - Hyakumanben chion-ji - Kyoto - DSC06544.JPG
| caption4          = Inner hall of {{Transliteration|ja|Hyakumanben chion-ji}} a [[Jōdo-shū|Jodo]] temple in [[Kyoto]]
}}The six Buddhist sects initially established in Nara are today together known as "[[Nanto Rikushū|Nara Buddhism]]" and are relatively small. When the capital moved to Heian, more forms of Buddhism arrived from China, including the still-popular [[Shingon Buddhism]], an esoteric form of Buddhism similar to Tibet's Vajrayana Buddhism, and [[Tendai]], a monastic conservative form known better by its Chinese name, [[Tiantai]].

When the [[Kamakura shogunate|shogunate]] took power in the 12th century and the administrative capital moved to [[Kamakura, Kanagawa|Kamakura]], more forms of Buddhism arrived. The most culturally influential was [[Zen]], which focused on meditation and attaining enlightenment in this life. Two schools of Zen were established, [[Rinzai]] and [[Sōtō]]; a third, [[Ōbaku]], formed in 1661.

With the [[Meiji Restoration]] in 1868 and its accompanying centralisation of imperial power and modernisation of the state, [[State Shinto|Shinto]] was made the state religion. An order of [[shinbutsu bunri|elimination of mutual influence of Shinto and Buddhism]] was also enacted, followed by a [[haibutsu kishaku|movement to thoroughly eradicate Buddhism]] from Japan.

Today, the most popular school in Japan is [[Pure Land Buddhism]], which arrived in the form of independent schools in the [[Kamakura period]], although elements of it were practiced in Japan for centuries beforehand. It emphasizes the role of [[Amitabha|Amitabha Buddha]] and promises that reciting the phrase {{Transliteration|ja|"[[nianfo|Namu Amida Butsu]]"}} will result in being taken by Amitabha upon death to the "Western Paradise" or "[[Pure Land]]", where [[Buddhahood]] is more easily attained. Pure Land attracted members from all of the different classes, from farmers and merchants to noblemen and samurai clans, such as the [[Tokugawa clan]]. There are two primary branches of Pure Land Buddhism today: {{Transliteration|ja|[[Jōdo-shū]]}}, which focuses on repeating the phrase many times as taught by [[Hōnen|Honen]], and {{Transliteration|ja|[[Jōdo Shinshū]]}}, which claims that only saying the phrase once with a pure heart is necessary, as taught by [[Shinran]]. Two smaller schools of Pure Land Buddhism exist as well, those of [[Ji-shu]] and [[Yuzu Nembutsu]], although these are significantly smaller than their larger counterparts.

Another prevalent form of Buddhism is [[Nichiren Buddhism]], which was established by the 13th century monk [[Nichiren]] who underlined the importance of the [[Lotus Sutra]]. The main representatives of Nichiren Buddhism include sects such as {{Transliteration|ja|[[Nichiren Shū]]}} and {{Transliteration|ja|[[Nichiren Shōshū]]}}, and lay organisations like {{Transliteration|ja|[[Risshō Kōsei Kai]]}} and {{Transliteration|ja|[[Soka Gakkai]]}}—a denomination whose political wing forms the {{Transliteration|ja|[[Komeito]]}}, Japan's third largest political party. Common to most lineages of Nichiren Buddhism is the chanting of {{Transliteration|ja|[[Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō]]}} (or Nam Myoho Renge Kyo) and the {{Transliteration|ja|[[Gohonzon]]}} inscribed by Nichiren.

{{As of|2018}}, there were 355,000+ Buddhist monks, priests and leaders in Japan,<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Agency for Cultural Affairs]]|title=宗教年鑑 令和元年版|trans-title=Religious Yearbook 2019|url=https://www.bunka.go.jp/tokei_hakusho_shuppan/hakusho_nenjihokokusho/shukyo_nenkan/pdf/r01nenkan.pdf#page=49|page=35|year=2019|language=ja}}</ref> an increase of over 40,000 compared to 2000.<ref>{{cite book|author=Agency for Cultural Affairs|year=2002|title=宗教年鑑 平成13年版|trans-title=Religious Yearbook 2001|url=https://www.bunka.go.jp/tokei_hakusho_shuppan/hakusho_nenjihokokusho/shukyo_nenkan/pdf/h13nenkan.pdf#page=45|publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs|language=ja|page=31|isbn=978-432406748-2}}</ref>

== Minor religions ==
===Christianity===
{{multiple image
| align             = center
| width             = 150
| image3            = 2018 St. Mary's Cathedral Tokyo 1.jpg
| caption3          = [[St. Mary's Cathedral, Tokyo|Saint Mary's Catholic Cathedral]] of [[Tokyo]]
| image4            = Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral March 2019.jpg
| caption4          = [[Holy Resurrection Cathedral]] in Tokyo, of the [[Japanese Orthodox Church]]
| image5            = St. Andrews Anglican Cathedral, Tokyo, December 2013.JPG
| caption5          = St. Andrew's Cathedral in Tokyo, of the [[Anglican Church in Japan|Japanese Anglican Church]]
| image6            = TOKYO ONCYO REFORMED CHURCH IN JAPAN 2010 Ebisu, Tokyo.JPG
| caption6          = Grace Church, a [[Calvinism|Reformed]] church in Tokyo
| image7            = Kashii Baptist Church 20190212.jpg
| caption7          = Kashii [[Baptists|Baptist]] Church in [[Fukuoka]] ([[Japan Baptist Convention]])
| image1            = 
}}

{{Main|Christianity in Japan}}
{{See also|Catholicism in Japan|Orthodoxy in Japan|Protestantism in Japan|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan}}

In 2019, there were 1.9 million<ref>{{cite book|title=宗教年鑑 令和元年版|trans-title=Religious Yearbook 2019|url=https://www.bunka.go.jp/tokei_hakusho_shuppan/hakusho_nenjihokokusho/shukyo_nenkan/pdf/r01nenkan.pdf#page=49|page=35|year=2019|language=ja|publisher=[[Agency for Cultural Affairs]], Government of Japan}}</ref> Christians in Japan,<ref name=US2022>[https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/japan US State Department 2022 Religious Freedom Report]</ref> most of them living in the western part of the country, where missionaries' activities were greatest during the 16th century.

[[Christianity]] (キリスト教 ''Kirisutokyō''), in the form of [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] (カトリック教 ''Katorikkukyō''), was introduced into Japan by [[Jesuit]] missions starting in 1549.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1">Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1</ref> In that year, the three Jesuits [[Francis Xavier]], [[Cosme de Torres]] and [[Juan Fernández (missionary)|Juan Fernández]], landed in [[Kagoshima]], in [[Kyushu]], on 15 August.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1"/> [[Portugal|Portuguese]] traders were active in Kagoshima since 1543,<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 1"/> welcomed by local ''[[daimyō]]s'' because they imported gunpowder. [[Anjirō]], a Japanese convert, helped the Jesuits understanding Japanese culture and translating the first Japanese catechism.<ref>Higashibaba, 2002. p. 5</ref>

These missionaries were successful in converting large numbers of people in Kyushu, including peasants, former Buddhist monks, and members of the warrior class.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12">Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12</ref> In 1559, a mission to the capital, [[Kyoto]], was started.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/> By the following year there were nine churches, and the Christian community grew steadily in the 1560s.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/> By 1569 there were 30,000 Christians and 40 churches.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/> Following the conversion of some lords in Kyushu, mass baptisms of the local populations occurred, and in the 1570s the number of Christians rose rapidly to 100,000.<ref name="Higashibaba, 2002. p. 12"/>

Near the end of the 16th century, [[Franciscan]] missionaries arrived in Kyoto, despite a ban issued by [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]]. In 1597, Hideyoshi proclaimed a more serious edict and [[Twenty-six Martyrs of Japan|executed 26 Franciscans]] in [[Nagasaki]] as a warning. [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] and his successors enforced the prohibition of Christianity with several further edicts, especially after the [[Shimabara Rebellion]] in the 1630s. Many Christians [[Kakure Kirishitan|continued to practice in secret]]. However, more importantly, the discourses on Christianity became the property of the state during the Tokugawa period. The state leveraged its power over to declare Christians enemies of the state in order to create and maintain a legally enforceable identity for Japanese subjects. As such, Christian identities or icons became the exclusive property of the Japanese state.<ref>LeFebvre, 2021.</ref> Although often discussed as a "foreign" or "minority" religion, Christianity has played a key sociopolitical role in the lives of Japanese subjects and citizens for hundreds of years.<ref>LeFebvre, 2021. [https://brill.com/view/journals/jrj/aop/article-1163-22118349-20210001/article-1163-22118349-20210001.xml "The Oppressor's Dilemma: How Japanese State Policy toward Religion Paved the Way for Christian Weddings"]</ref>

In 1873, following the [[Meiji Restoration]], the ban was rescinded, [[freedom of religion]] was promulgated, and [[Protestantism|Protestant]] missionaries (プロテスタント ''Purotesutanto'' or 新教 ''Shinkyō'', "renewed teaching") began to proselytise in Japan, intensifying their activities after [[World War II]], yet they were never as successful as in [[religion in South Korea|Korea]].

[[Nagasaki Prefecture]] had the highest percentage of Christians in 1996 (about 5.1%).<ref>[http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/7770.html Religion in Japan by prefecture]. 1996 statistics.</ref> As of 2007 there were 32,036 Christian priests and pastors in Japan.<ref name="Bestor, Yamagata. 2011. p. 65"/> According to a poll conducted by the [[Gallup Organization]] in 2006, Christianity had increased significantly in [[Christianity in Japan|Japan]], particularly among youth, and a high number of teens were becoming Christians.<ref name="W. Robinson 2012 521">{{cite book|title=International Handbook of Protestant Education| first=David |last= W. Robinson|year= 2012| isbn=9789400723870| page =521 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|quote=A 2006 Gallup survey, however, is the largest to date and puts the number at 6%, which is much higher than its previous surveys. It notes a major increase among Japanese youth professing Christ.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mercatornet.com/after_fatalism_japan_opens_to_faith/6222|title=After fatalism, Japan opens to faith|website=mercatornet|date=17 October 2007|quote=The 2006 Gallup poll, however, disclosed that an astounding 12 per cent of Japanese who claim a religion are now Christian, making six per cent of the entire nation Christian.|access-date=8 February 2022|archive-date=20 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720225309/https://mercatornet.com/after_fatalism_japan_opens_to_faith/6222/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Handbook of Religion: A Christian Engagement with Traditions, Teachings, and Practices| first= Gerald |last= R. McDermott|year= 2014| isbn=9781441246004| page =|publisher=Baker Academic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ry_aBAAAQBAJ&q=christianity+in+japan+2006+galloup&pg=PT319}}</ref>

Throughout the latest century, some Western customs originally related to Christianity (including [[marriage in Japan|Western style weddings]], [[Valentine's Day]] and [[Christmas]]) have become popular among many of the Japanese. For example, 60–70% of weddings performed in Japan are Christian-style.<ref>LeFebvre, J. (2015). "Christian wedding ceremonies: 'Nonreligiousness' in contemporary Japan." ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'', 42(2), 185–203.</ref> [[Christianity]] and [[Christian culture]] has a generally positive image in [[Japan]].<ref name="Heide Fehrenbach, Uta G. Poiger 2000 62">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RB2goIgxF68C&pg=PA62|title=Transactions, transgressions, transformations: American culture in Western Europe and Japan|page=62|publisher=Berghahn Books|year=2000|isbn=978-1-57181-108-0|quote=|author=Heide Fehrenbach, Uta G. Poiger}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kimura |first1=Junko |last2=Belk |first2=Russell |title=Christmas in Japan: Globalization Versus Localization |journal=Consumption Markets & Culture |date=September 2005 |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=325–338 |doi=10.1080/10253860500160361 |s2cid=144740841 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00769/a-little-faith-christianity-and-the-japanese.html|title=A Little Faith: Christianity and the Japanese|date=22 November 2019|quote=Christian culture in general has a positive image.|publisher=Nippon.com: Your Doorway to Japan}}</ref>

===Islam===

[[File:Tokyo Camii 2009.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Tokyo Mosque]], built in [[Ottoman architecture|Ottoman style]]]]
{{Main|Islam in Japan}}{{Update section|date=May 2025|reason=It uses prior to 2010 source}}
[[Islam]] (イスラム教 ''Isuramukyō'') in Japan is mostly represented by small immigrant communities from other parts of [[Asia]]. In 2008, Keiko Sakurai estimated that 80–90% of the Muslims in Japan were foreign-born migrants primarily from Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Nakhleh |first1=Emile A. |last2=Keiko |first2=Sakurai |last3=Penn |first3=Michael |date=January 2008 |title=Islam in Japan: A Cause for Concern?", Asia Policy 5 |url=http://www.nbr.org/publications/asia_policy/Preview/AP5_IslamJapan_preview.pdf |access-date=2025-04-25 |language=en}}</ref> It has been estimated that the Muslim immigrant population amounts to 10,000–50,000 people, while the "estimated number of Japanese Muslims ranges from thousands to tens of thousands".<ref>[http://www.japanfocus.org/-kawakami-yasunori/2436#sthash.4FOVJMP9.dpuf Yasunori Kawakami, "Local Mosques and the Lives of Muslims in Japan", Japan Focus, May 2007]</ref>

===Bahá'í Faith===

{{Main|Bahá'í Faith in Japan}}
The [[Bahá'í Faith]] (バハーイー教 ''Bahāiikyō'') in Japan began after a few mentions of the country by [['Abdu'l-Bahá]] first in 1875.<ref>{{cite book|author='Abdu'l-Bahá|author-link='Abdu'l-Bahá|orig-year=1875|year=1990|title=The Secret of Divine Civilization|publisher=Bahá'í Publishing Trust|page= 111|location=Wilmette, Illinois|isbn=978-0-87743-008-7|url=http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SDC/sdc-6.html.iso8859-1#gr21}}</ref> The first Japanese convert was {{nihongo|[[Kanichi Yamamoto]]|山本寛一}}, who lived in [[Honolulu]], and accepted the faith in 1902; the second convert was {{nihongo|[[Saichiro Fujita]]|藤田左弌郎|}}. The first Bahá'í convert on Japanese soil was {{nihongo|Kikutaro Fukuta|福田菊太郎}} in 1915.<ref>{{cite book|last=Alexander|first=Agnes Baldwin|author-link=Agnes Alexander|editor=Sims, Barbara|title=History of the Baháʼí Faith in Japan 1914-1938|publisher=Japan Baháʼí Publishing Trust|year=1977|location=Osaka, Japan|pages=12–4, 21|url=http://bahai-library.com/alexander_history_bahai_japan}}</ref> Almost a century later, the [[Association of Religion Data Archives]] (relying on [[World Christian Encyclopedia]]) estimated some 15,700 Bahá'ís in 2005.<ref name="WCE-05">{{cite web |title=QuickLists: Most Baha'i Nations (2005) |work=[[Association of Religion Data Archives]] |year=2005 |url=http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709101136/http://www.thearda.com/QuickLists/QuickList_40c.asp |archive-date=2009-07-09 |access-date=2009-07-04}}</ref>

===Judaism===

{{Main|History of the Jews in Japan|Jewish settlement in Imperial Japan}}
[[Judaism]] (ユダヤ教 ''Yudayakyō'') in Japan is practiced by about 2,000 [[Jews]] living in the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/889.pdf|last=Golub|first=Jennifer|title=Japanese Attitudes Toward Jews|publisher=Pacific Rim Institute of the American Jewish Committee|date=August 1992}}</ref> With the opening of Japan to the external world in 1853 and the end of Japan's ''[[sakoku]]'' [[foreign policy]], some Jews immigrated to Japan from abroad, with the first recorded Jewish settlers arriving at [[Yokohama]] in 1861. The Jewish population continued to grow into the 1950s, fueled by immigration from Europe and the Middle East, with [[Tokyo]] and [[Kobe]] forming the largest communities.

During [[World War II]], some European Jews fleeing [[the Holocaust]] found refuge in Japan. These mainly Polish Jews received a so-called Curaçao visa from the Dutch consul in Kaunas, [[Jan Zwartendijk]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1072299| title = Jan Zwartendijk. - Collections Search - United States Holocaust Memorial Museum}}</ref> This allowed one Japanese diplomat, [[Chiune Sugihara]], the Japanese consul to [[Lithuania]], to issue Japanese transit visa. In doing so, both Zwartendijk and Sugihara disregarded orders and helped more than 6,000 Jews escape the Nazis. After World War II, a large portion of Japan's Jewish population emigrated, many going to what would become [[Israel]]. Some of those who remained married locals and were assimilated into Japanese society.

There are community centres serving Jews in Tokyo<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jccjapan.or.jp/|title=Jewish Community of Japan|access-date=2011-12-01|archive-date=2006-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117013448/http://www.jccjapan.or.jp/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Kobe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jcckobe.org/|title=Jewish Community of Kansai}}</ref> The [[Chabad-Lubavitch]] organization has two centers in Tokyo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chabad.jp/|title=Chabad Japan|publisher=Chabad Jewish Center of Japan}}</ref>

In September 2015, Japan nominated a [[Chief Rabbi]] for the first time, the head of Tokyo's [[Chabad House]], Rabbi Binyamin Edrei.<ref>{{cite news|title=Japan Gets First-Ever Chief Rabbi|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200785|date=September 17, 2015}}</ref>

===Hinduism===
{{Main|Hinduism in Japan}}
[[File:Krishna-in-Kyoto.jpg|thumb|upright|200px|Depiction of [[Hindu]] deity [[Krishna]] playing the flute in a temple constructed in 752{{nbsp}}CE on the order of Emperor Shomu, [[Tōdai-ji|Todai-ji Temple]], Great Buddha Hall in [[Nara, Nara|Nara]], [[Japan]]]]
[[Hinduism]] (ヒンドゥー教 ''Hindūkyō'' or 印度教 ''Indokyō'') in Japan is practiced by a small number of people, mostly migrants from [[China]], [[India]], [[Nepal]], and [[Bali]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}} Nevertheless, Hindu culture have had a significant but indirect role in Japanese culture, through the spread of Buddhism and the fascination of ancient world about Bharatvarsha. Four of the Japanese "[[Seven Gods of Fortune]]" originated as Hindu deities, including Benzaiten (Sarasvati), Bishamon (Vaiśravaṇa or Kubera), Daikoku (Mahakala/Shiva), and Kisshoutennyo (Lakshmi). Various Hindu deities, including the aforementioned, are worshipped in [[Shingon Buddhism]]. This denomination and all other forms of Tantric Buddhism have multiple sources in common with Tantric Hinduism.

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, there were 25,597 Hindus in Japan in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Japan, Religion And Social Profile {{!}} National Profiles {{!}} International Data {{!}} TheARDA|url=https://www.thearda.com/internationaldata/countries/Country_117_2.asp|access-date=2023-06-04|website=www.thearda.com}}</ref>

===Sikhism===
{{Main|Sikhism in Japan}}
[[Sikhism]] (シク教 ''Sikukyō'') is presently a minority religion in [[Japan]] mainly followed by families migrated from India. Sikh communities formed in the 1920s, primarily in Kobe and later in Tokyo. The Sikh population, though small, established gurdwaras.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Wadhwa |first=Megha |date=24 August 2016 |title=Sikhs hope temple in Tokyo sets the stage for tolerance and understanding |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/08/24/issues/sikhs-hope-temple-tokyo-sets-stage-tolerance-understanding/ |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825015152/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2016/08/24/issues/sikhs-hope-temple-tokyo-sets-stage-tolerance-understanding/#.V75PQMHP3MI |archive-date=25 August 2016 |website=The Japan Times}}</ref> Notable figures include [[Jagatjit Singh|Maharaja Jagatjit Singh]] of [[Kapurthala]] who visited the country during 1903–1904.<ref name="Kamalakaran">{{Cite web |last=Kamalakaran |first=Ajay |date=29 June 2022 |title=The travelogue of an Indian maharaja who disliked China and loved Japan |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/1027142/the-impressions-of-an-indian-maharaja-who-disliked-china-and-loved-japan |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Jainism===
{{Main|Jainism in Japan}}
[[Jainism]] (ジャイナ教 ''Jainakyō'') is a minority religion in [[Japan]]. {{As of|2009}}, there were three Jain temples in the country.<ref>{{cite conference|url=http://www.jaina.org/?page=Convention2009|title=2009 Jain Diaspora Conference|location=Los Angeles, USA|access-date=24 March 2012|publisher=JAINA: Federation of Jain Associations in North America}}</ref> [[Minakata Kumagusu]] published the first simplified Japanese translation of Jainist concepts for common people.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mehta |first1=Manish |title="Jain studies" |url=https://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies/newsletter/file25135.pdf |publisher=SOAS University of London.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613004726/https://www.soas.ac.uk/jainastudies/newsletter/file25135.pdf |archive-date=2022-06-13 }}</ref>

===Other religions of East Asia===
[[Happy Science]] was founded in 1986 by Ryuho Okawa. This Japanese religion has been very active in its political ventures to re-militarize Japan.

====Ryukyuan religion====
[[File:Miyako harimizu utaki.jpg|thumb|150px|''Harimizu [[utaki]]'' (Harimizu Shrine), a Ryukyuan shrine in [[Miyakojima, Okinawa|Miyakojima]], [[Okinawa Prefecture]]]]
{{Main|Ryukyuan religion}}
The Ryukyuan religion is the indigenous belief system of the people of [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] and the other [[Ryukyu Islands]]. While specific legends and traditions may vary slightly from place to place and island to island, the Ryukyuan religion is generally characterized by [[ancestor worship]] (more accurately termed "ancestor respect") and the respecting of relationships between the living, the dead, and the gods and spirits of the natural world. Some of its beliefs, such as those concerning ''[[genius loci]]'' spirits and many other beings classified between gods and humans, are indicative of its ancient [[animism|animistic]] roots, as is its concern with {{nihongo3||まぶい|mabui}}, or life essence.

One of its most ancient features is the belief {{nihongo||おなり神|[[onarigami]]}}, the spiritual superiority of women derived from the goddess [[Amamikyu]], which allowed for the development of a class of ''[[noro (priestess)|noro]]'' (priestesses) cult and ''yuta'' (female [[Mediumship|media]]). This differs from Japanese Shinto, where men are seen as the embodiment of purity. Ryukyuan religion has been influenced by Japanese Shinto and Buddhism, and various Chinese religions. It includes sects and reformed movements such as [[Ijun]] or Ijunism ([[Ryukyuan languages|Ryukyuan]]: いじゅん ''Ijun''; Japanese: 違順教 ''Ijunkyō''), founded in the 1970s.

====Ainu folk religion====
{{Main|Ainu religion}}
The Ainu religion {{nihongo||アイヌの宗教|Ainu no shūkyō}} is the indigenous belief system of the [[Ainu people]] of [[Hokkaido]] and [[Ainu in Russia|parts of Far Eastern Russia]]. It is an [[Animism|animistic]] religion centered around the belief that ''[[Kamuy]]'' (spirits or gods) live in everything.

====Chinese folk religion====
{{Main|Chinese folk religion}}
[[File:Yamashitacho, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 231-0023, Japan - panoramio - jetsun (5).jpg|thumb|150px|Temple of [[Guan Yu|Guandi]] (關帝廟; Japanese: ''Kanteibyō'', Chinese: ''Guāndìmiào'') in [[Yokohama]]]]
Most [[Chinese people in Japan]] practice the Chinese folk religion ({{cjkv|j=中国の民俗宗教|r=Chūgoku no minzoku shūkyō|c=中国民间宗教 or 中国民间信仰|p=Zhōngguó mínjiān zōngjiào or Zhōngguó mínjiān xìnyǎng}}), also known as Shenism ({{cjkv|c=神教|r=Shinkyō|p=Shénjiào}}), that is very similar to Japanese Shinto.

The Chinese folk religion consists in the worship of the ethnic Chinese gods and ancestors, ''[[shen (Chinese religion)|shen]]'' (神 "[[deity|gods]]", "spirits", "awarenesses", "consciousnesses", "[[archetype]]s"; literally "expressions", the energies that generate things and make them thrive), which can be [[nature god|nature deities]], city deities or [[tutelary deity|tutelary deities]] of other human agglomerations, [[national god|national deities]], [[cultural hero|cultural]] [[hero]]es and demigods, [[ancestor]]s and [[progenitor]]s of kinships. [[Mythology|Holy narratives]] regarding some of these gods are codified into the body of [[Chinese mythology]].

====Taoism====
[[File:Sakado Xientengong Tenmon 20110203 1.jpg|thumb|150px|''Seitenkyū'' (聖天宮; Chinese: ''Shèngtiāngōng'', "Temple of the Holy Heaven"), a [[Taoist temple]] in [[Sakado, Saitama]]]]
{{Main|Taoism in Japan}}
[[Taoism]] (道教 ''Dōkyō'') was introduced from China between the 7th and 8th centuries, and influenced in varying degrees the Japanese indigenous spirituality. Taoist practices were absorbed into Shinto, and Taoism was the source of the esoteric and mystical religions of [[Onmyōdō]], [[Shugendō]] and [[Kōshin]].

Taoism, being an [[indigenous religion]] in China, shares some roots with Shinto, although Taoism is more hermetic while Shinto is more shamanic. Taoism's influence in Japan has been less profound than that of Japanese Neo-Confucianism. Today, institutional Chinese Taoism is present in the country in the form of some temples; the ''[[Seitenkyū]]'' was founded in 1995.

====Confucianism====
[[File:Ashikaga Gakko Koshibyo.JPG|thumb|150px|''Kōshibyō'' (孔子廟, "Temple of Confucius") of the [[Ashikaga Gakko]], the oldest Confucian school in Japan]]
{{Main|Edo Neo-Confucianism}}
[[Confucianism]] (儒教 ''Jukyō'') was introduced from Korea during the [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)]],<ref>{{citation |author=Kim Ha-tai |title=The Transmission of Neo-Confucianism to Japan by Kang Hang, a Prisoner of War |journal=Transactions of the Korea Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |number=37 |date=April 1961 |pages=83–103}}</ref> and developed into an elite religion, yet having a profound influence on the fabric of Japanese society overall during the [[Edo period]]. The Confucian philosophy can be characterized as humanistic and rationalistic, with the belief that the universe could be understood through human reason, corresponding to the universal reason (''[[li (Neo-Confucianism)|li]]''), and thus it is up to man to create a harmonious relationship between the universe (天 ''[[Tian|Ten]]'') and the individual.<ref name="craig">{{Harvnb|Craig|1998|p=552}}.</ref> The rationalism of Neo-Confucianism was in contrast to the mysticism of Zen Buddhism in Japan. Unlike the Buddhists, the Neo-Confucians believed that reality existed, and could be understood by mankind, even if the interpretations of reality were slightly different depending on the school of Neo-Confucianism.<ref name="craig"/>

The social aspects of the philosophy are hierarchical with a focus on [[filial piety]]. This created a Confucian [[social stratification]] in Edo society that previously had not existed, dividing Japanese society into four main classes: [[samurai]], farmers, [[artisan]]s and merchants.<ref name="craig2">{{Harvnb|Craig|1998|p=553}}.</ref> The samurai were especially avid readers and teachers of Confucian thought in Japan, establishing many Confucian academies.

Neo-Confucianism also introduced elements of [[ethnocentrism]] into Japan. As the Chinese and Korean Neo-Confucians had regarded their own culture as the center of the world, the Japanese Neo-Confucians developed a similar national pride.<ref name="craig"/> This national pride would later evolve into the philosophical school of [[Kokugaku]], which would later challenge Neo-Confucianism, and its perceived foreign Chinese and Korean origins, as the dominant philosophy of Japan.

==Religious practices and holidays==
Most Japanese participate in rituals and customs derived from several religious traditions. Life cycle events are often marked by visits to a Shinto shrine and Buddhist temples. The birth of a new baby is celebrated with a formal shrine or temple visit at the age of about one month, as are the third, fifth, and seventh birthdays (''[[Shichi-Go-San]]'') and the official beginning of [[adulthood]] at age twenty (''[[Seijin shiki]]''). The vast majority of Japanese wedding ceremonies have been Christian for at least the last three and half decades.<ref name="nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp">LeFebvre, J. (2015). Christian wedding ceremonies: “Nonreligiousness” in contemporary Japan. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 42(2), 185-203. http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4454</ref> Shinto weddings and secular weddings that follow a "western-style" format are also popular but much less so and a small fraction (usually less than one percent) of weddings are Buddhist.<ref name="nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp"/>

[[Japanese funeral]]s are usually performed by Buddhist priests, and Buddhist rites are also common on death day anniversaries of deceased family members. 91% of Japanese funerals take place according to [[Buddhist]] traditions.

There are two categories of holidays in Japan: ''[[matsuri]]'' (temple fairs), which are largely of Shinto origin (some are Buddhist like [[Buddha's Birthday|Hanamatsuri]]) and relate to the cultivation of rice and the spiritual well-being of the local community; and ''nenjyū gyōji'' (annual feasts), which are largely of Chinese or Buddhist origin. During the [[Heian period]], the ''matsuri'' were organized into a formal calendar, and other festivals were added. Very few ''matsuri'' or annual feasts are national holidays, but they are included in the national calendar of annual events. Most ''matsuri'' are local events and follow local traditions. They may be sponsored by schools, towns, or other groups but are most often associated with Shinto shrines.

Some of the holidays are secular in nature, but the two most significant for the majority of Japanese—[[New Year's Day]] and ''[[Bon Festival|Obon]]''—involve visits to Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples and only Buddhist temples for later. The New Year's holiday (January 1–3) is marked by the practice of numerous customs and the consumption of special foods. Visiting Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples to pray for family blessings in the coming year, dressing in a [[kimono]], hanging special decorations, eating noodles on New Year's Eve, and playing a poetry card game are among these practices. During Obon, ''bon'' (spirit altars) are set up in front of Buddhist family altars, which, along with ancestral graves, are cleaned in anticipation of the return of the spirits. People living away from their family homes return for visits with relatives. Celebrations include folk dancing and prayers at Buddhist temples as well as family rituals in the home.

==Religion and law==
{{See also|Freedom of religion in Japan}}

In early [[History of Japan|Japanese history]], the ruling class was responsible for performing propitiatory rituals, which later came to be identified as Shinto, and for the introduction and support of Buddhism. Later, religious organization was used by regimes for political purposes; for instance, the [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa]] government required each family to be registered as a member of a Buddhist temple. In the early 19th century, the government required that each family belong to a shrine instead, and in the early 20th century, this was supplemented with the concept of a divine right to rule bestowed on the emperor. The [[Meiji Constitution]] reads: "Japanese subjects shall, within limits not prejudicial to peace and order, and not antagonistic to their duties as subjects, enjoy freedom of religious belief".

Article 20 of the [[Constitution of Japan|1947 Constitution]] states: "Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all. No religious organization shall receive any privileges from the State, nor exercise any political authority. No person shall be compelled to take part in any religious act, celebration, rite or practice. The State and its organs shall refrain from religious education or any other religious activity". This change in constitutional rights provided mechanisms for limiting state educational initiatives designed to promote Shinto beliefs in schools and freed the populace from mandatory participation in Shinto rites.<ref>LeFebvre, J. (2021) [https://brill.com/view/journals/jrj/aop/article-1163-22118349-20210001/article-1163-22118349-20210001.xml "The Oppressor's Dilemma: How Japanese State Policy toward Religion Paved the Way for Christian Weddings"]</ref>

In postwar years, the issue of the separation of Shinto and state arose in the Self-Defense Force Apotheosis Case. In 1973, Nakaya Takafumi, a member of the [[Japan Self-Defense Forces|Japanese Self-Defense Forces]] and husband of Nakaya Yasuko, died in a traffic accident.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Shintō and the State, 1868-1988|last=Hardacre|first=Helen|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0691020525|location=Princeton, NJ|pages=153}}</ref> Despite Yasuko's refusal to provide relevant documents for her husband's enshrinement at the [[Yamaguchi Prefecture|Yamaguchi]] prefectural National-Protecting Shrine, the prefectural Veterans’ Association requested the information from the Self-Defense Forces and completed the enshrinement.<ref name=":0" /> As a result, in 1973, Yasuko sued the Yamaguchi Prefectural Branch of the Self-Defense Forces, on the grounds that the ceremony of [[apotheosis]] violated her religious rights as a Christian.<ref name=":0" />

Although Yasuko won the case at two lower courts, the ruling was overturned by the [[Supreme Court of Japan]] on June 1, 1988, based on the precedent established by the [http://www.courts.go.jp/app/hanrei_en/detail?id=51 Tsu City Shinto Groundbreaking Ceremony Case]. First, the Supreme Court ruled that because the Veterans’ Association—which was not an organ of the state—had acted alone when arranging the ceremony of apotheosis, no violation of Article 20 had occurred.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Shintō and the State, 1868-1988|last=Hardacre|first=Helen|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0691020525|location=Princeton, NJ|pages=154}}</ref> Second, the Supreme Court held that the Self-Defense Forces' provision of Takafumi's documents to the Veterans’ Association did not constitute a religious activity prohibited by Article 20, because neither the intention nor the effects of its action harmed or patronized any religion.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Shintō and the State, 1868-1988|last=Hardacre|first=Helen|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0691020525|location=Princeton, NJ|pages=154–155}}</ref>

Third, the Supreme Court adopted a narrow interpretation of individual religious rights, by ruling that violation of individual rights to religion did not occur unless the state or its organs coerced individuals to perform some religious activity or limited their religious freedom.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Shintō and the State, 1868-1988|last=Hardacre|first=Helen|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0691020525|location=Princeton, NJ|pages=155}}</ref> On June 2, 1988, a report by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' described the Japanese Supreme Court's decision as “a major setback for advocates of stronger separation of religion and state in Japan.”<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-02-mn-5840-story.html|title=Japan Widow Loses Religious Rights Case|last=Schoenberger|first=Karl|date=1988-06-02|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2018-05-01|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> On June 7, 1988, an article published in the [[The New York Times|''New York Times'']] expressed concern that the Japanese Supreme Court's decision was likely to encourage the resurgence of [[State Shinto]] and [[nationalism]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/07/world/tokyo-journal-shinto-is-thrust-back-onto-the-nationalist-stage.html|title=Tokyo Journal; Shinto Is Thrust Back Onto the Nationalist Stage|last=Haberman|first=Clyde|work=The New York Times |date=7 June 1988 |access-date=2018-05-01|language=en}}</ref> Because the prefectural National-Protecting Shrines perform the same ceremony of apotheosis as the [[Yasukuni Shrine]] does, the significance of this case also lies in its implications for the constitutionality of state patronage of and official visits to the Yasukuni Shrine.<ref name=":1" />

==Opposition to organised religion==
In the early 1990s, Shichihei Yamamoto argued that Japan has shown greater tolerance towards [[irreligion]] than the West.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shichihei|first=Yamamoto|title=The spirit of Japanese capitalism and selected essays|year=1992|publisher=Madison Books|location=Lanham|isbn=9780819182944}}</ref>

===Comments against religion by notable figures===
*'''[[Shin'ichi Hisamatsu]]''', philosopher and scholar who rejected theism, claimed that God or Buddha, as objective beings, are mere illusions.<ref name="furuya">{{cite book|title=A history of Japanese theology|first=Yasuo|last=Furuya|page=94|publisher=Eerdmans Publishing|year=1997|isbn=978-0802841087}}</ref>
*'''[[Ito Hirobumi]]''', four-time [[Prime Minister of Japan]], who reportedly said: "I regard religion itself as quite unnecessary for a nation's life; science is far above superstition, and what is religion – Buddhism or Christianity – but superstition, and therefore a possible source of weakness to a nation? I do not regret the tendency to free thought and atheism, which is almost universal in Japan because I do not regard it as a source of danger to the community".<ref name="gulick">{{cite book|title=Evolution of the Japanese, Social and Psychic|first=Sidney L.|last=Gulic|page=198|isbn=9781426474316|publisher=BiblioBazaar|year=1997}}</ref>
*'''[[Hiroyuki Kato]]''', who headed the Imperial Academy from 1905 to 1909 and said: "Religion depends on fear".<ref name="gulick"/>
*'''[[Haruki Murakami]]''', a Japanese novelist who wrote: "God only exists in people’s minds. Especially in Japan, God's always has been a kind of flexible concept. Look at what happened to the war. [[Douglas MacArthur]] ordered the divine emperor to quit being a God, and he did, making a speech saying he was just an ordinary person".{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
*'''[[Ando Shoeki]]''', who denounced Confucian scholars and Buddhist clergy as spiritual oppressors of his age, though he still venerated the gods of old Japan as a [[pantheism|pantheist]] would, equating them with nature.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nakamura|first=Hajime|title=A comparative history of ideas|year=1992|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|location=Delhi|isbn=9788120810044|edition=1st Indian|page=519}}</ref>
*'''[[Fukuzawa Yukichi]]''', who was regarded as one of the founders of modern Japan and found it impossible to combine modern learning with belief in gods,<ref>{{cite book|last=Thelle|first=Notto R.|title=Buddhism and Christianity in Japan: from conflict to dialogue, 1854-1899|year=1987|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|location=Honolulu|isbn=978-0824810061|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/buddhismchristia00thel}}</ref> openly declaring: "It goes without saying that the maintenance of peace and security in society requires a religion. For this purpose any religion will do. I lack a religious nature, and have never believed in any religion. I am thus open to the charge that I am advising others to be religious while I am not so. Yet my conscience does not permit me to clothe myself with religion when I have it not at heart...Of religions there are several kinds – Buddhism, Christianity, and what not. From my standpoint there is no more difference between those than between green tea and black...".<ref>{{cite book|isbn=978-1440055249|title=A Short History of Freethought Ancient and Modern|volume=2|first=J.M.|last=Robertson|page=425|publisher=Forgotten Books|year=2010}}</ref>

===Anti-religious organisations===
The Japan Militant Atheists Alliance (''Nihon Sentoteki Mushinronsha Domei'', also known as ''Senmu'') was founded in September 1931 by a group of [[antireligion|antireligious]] people. The alliance opposed the idea of [[kokutai]], the nation's [[founding myth]], the presence of religion in public education, and the practice of [[State Shinto]]. Their greatest opposition was towards the [[Empire of Japan|imperial system of Japan]].<ref name=ives>{{cite book|last=Ives|first=Christopher|title=Imperial-Way Zen: Ichikawa Hakugen's critique and lingering questions for Buddhist ethics|year=2009|publisher=University of Hawai'i Press|location=Honolulu|isbn=9780824833312}}</ref>

Two months later, in November 1931, socialist Toshihiko Sakai and Communist Takatsu Seido created the Japan Anti-religion Alliance (''Nihon Hanshukyo Domei''). They opposed "contributions to religious organizations, prayers for practical benefits (kito), preaching in factories, and the religious organizations of all stripes" and viewed religion as a tool used by the upper class to suppress laborers and farmers.<ref name=ives />

==Demographics==
According to the annual statistical research on religion in 2015 by the Agency for Culture Affairs, [[Government of Japan]], followers of Shintoism make up 70.4% of the total population, followers of Buddhism make up 69.8% of the population, followers of Christianity make up 1.5% of the population, and followers of other religions make up 6.9%.  The Japanese National Character Survey of 2013 showed 72.0% of Japanese had no personal faith and the Japanese General Social Survey of 2015 showed 69.6% did not follow any religion.<ref name="Iwai 2017">{{cite report|first=Noriko|last=Iwai|title=Measuring religion in Japan: ISM, NHK and JGSS|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2017/11/Religion20171117.pdf#page=15|date=11 October 2017|publisher=JGSS Research Center}}</ref>

According to surveys carried out in 2006<ref name="Dentsu2006">Dentsu Communication Institute, Japan Research Center: ''[http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/9460.html Sixty Countries' Values Databook]'' (世界60カ国価値観データブック).</ref> and 2008,<ref name="NHK2008">{{cite web|url= http://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/summary/research/report/2009_05/090505.pdf |title= 2008 NHK survey of religion in Japan — 宗教的なもの にひかれる日本人〜ISSP国際比較調査（宗教）から〜|publisher= NHK Culture Research Institute}}</ref> less than 40% of the population of Japan identifies with an [[organized religion]]: around 35% are [[Buddhism|Buddhists]], 3% to 4% are members of [[Shinto sects and schools#Shintō inspired religions|Shinto sects and derived religions]], and from fewer than 1%<ref name="Mariko Kato">{{cite news|title= Christianity's long history in the margins|url= http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2009/02/24/reference/christianitys-long-history-in-the-margins/|work= [[The Japan Times]]|date= February 24, 2009|author= Mariko Kato|quote= The Christian community itself counts only those who have been baptized and are currently regular churchgoers — some 1 million people, or less than 1 percent of the population, according to Nobuhisa Yamakita, moderator of the United Church of Christ in Japan}}</ref><ref name="Mission Network News">{{cite web|publisher= [[Mission Network News]]|title= Christians use English to reach Japanese youth|date= 3 September 2007|url= http://mnnonline.org/article/10318|quote= The population of Japan is less than one-percent Christian|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100611060608/http://mnnonline.org/article/10318|archive-date= 11 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RB2goIgxF68C&pg=PA62|title= Transactions, transgressions, transformations: American culture in Western Europe and Japan|page= 62|publisher= Berghahn Books|year= 2000|isbn= 978-1-57181-108-0|quote= ... followers of the Christian faith constitute only about a half percent of the Japanese population|author= Heide Fehrenbach, Uta G. Poiger}}</ref> to 2.3% are [[Christianity|Christians]].{{refn|group= note| According to the Dentsu survey of 2006: 1% [[Protestantism|Protestants]], 0.8% members of the [[Catholic Church]] and 0.5% members of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]].<ref name="Dentsu2006"/>}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Organised religions in Japan
|-
!rowspan="1"|Religion
!colspan="1"|1984<ref>1984 NHK survey of religion in Japan. Results recorded in: Bestor, Yamagata, 2011, p. 66</ref>
!colspan="1"|1996<ref name="1996statistics">[http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/7770.html Religion in Japan by prefecture, 1996]. [[:File:Religion in Japan by prefecture, 1996 statistics.png|English language bar table.]]</ref>
!colspan="1"|2008<ref name="NHK2008"/>
|-
|[[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhism]]||align=center|27%||align=center|29.5%||align=center|34%
|-
|[[Shinto sects and schools#Shintō inspired religions|Shinto sects]]||align=center|3%||align=center|1%||align=center|3%
|-
|[[Christianity]]||align=center|2%||align=center|2%||align=center|1%
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Organised religious affiliation in Japan by prefecture (1996)<ref name="1996statistics"/>
|-
! Prefecture
! data-sort-type="number" | [[Tendai]] or [[Shingon Buddhism|Shingon]]
! [[Jōdo-shū|Jōdo]] or [[Jōdo Shinshū|Shin]]
! [[Zen]]
! [[Nichiren Buddhism|Nichiren]]
! [[Soka Gakkai]]
! Other Buddhist schools
! [[Buddhism]] overall
! [[Shinto sects and schools#Shintō inspired religions|Shinto sects]]
! [[Christianity]]
! None
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Hokkaido]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 13.3%
| 8.2%
| 3.2%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| '''~31.7%'''
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~65.3%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Aomori Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="1" | ~1%
| 10.3%
| 5.6%
| 3.4%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| '''~25.3%'''
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~71.7%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Iwate Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="2" | ~2%
| 6.1%
| 12.8%
| ~0
| ~2%
| ~3%
| '''~25.9%'''
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~73.1%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Miyagi Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 4.8%
| 9.5%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| '''~23.3%'''
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~75.7%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Akita Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="0" | ~0
| 6.9%
| 9.5%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| '''~21.4%'''
| ~3%
| ~0
| ~75.6%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Yamagata Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="4" | ~4%
| 5.6%
| 8.5%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| 3.4%
| '''~27.5%'''
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~69.5%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Fukushima Prefecture]]
| 5.2%
| 4.8%
| 5.2%
| ~0
| ~3%
| ~3%
| '''~21.2%'''
| ~0
| ~0
| ~78.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Ibaraki Prefecture]]
| 7.1%
| 4.1%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| '''~20.2%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~77.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Tochigi Prefecture]]
| 6%
| 3.1%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| 3.1%
| ~2%
| '''~20.2%'''
| ~0
| ~1
| ~78.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Gunma Prefecture]]
| 6.6%
| 3.6%
| 5.8%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| '''~24%'''
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~73%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Saitama Prefecture]]
| 5.8%
| 5.2%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| 3.3%
| ~1%
| '''~20.3%'''
| ~0
| ~2%
| ~77.7%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Chiba Prefecture]]
| 3.8%
| 4.5%
| ~1%
| 3.3%
| ~3%
| ~1%
| '''~16.6%'''
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~82.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Tokyo]]
| 3.4%
| 8.3%
| ~2%
| 3.3%
| 4%
| ~2%
| '''~23%'''
| ~1%
| 3.4%
| ~72.6%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Kanagawa Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 5.5%
| 3.7%
| 3.7%
| 3.5%
| ~2%
| '''~21.4%'''
| ~1%
| ~3%
| ~74.6%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Niigata Prefecture]]
| 3.2%
| 10.6%
| 4.9%
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| '''~23.7%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~74.3%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Toyama Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="2" | ~2%
| 41.3%
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~1%
| '''~48.3%'''
| ~0
| ~0
| ~51.7%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Ishikawa Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="2" | ~2
| 36.2%
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~0
| ~3%
| '''~43.2%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~54.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Fukui Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="2" | ~2%
| 41.4%
| 5.5%
| 3.9%
| ~1%
| ~3%
| '''~56.8%'''
| ~1%
| ~0
| ~42.2%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Yamanashi Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="1" | ~1%
| 4.5%
| 6.2%
| 8.9%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| '''~26.6%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~71.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Nagano Prefecture]]
| 3.5%
| 11.8%
| 7.6%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| '''~29.9%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~68.1%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Gifu Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 23.2%
| 6.8%
| ~1%
| ~3%
| ~1%
| '''~38.1%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~59.9%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Shizuoka Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="1" | ~1%
| 6.2%
| 9.4%
| 7.3%
| 3.6%
| ~4%
| '''~31.5%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~66.5%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Aichi Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 16.7%
| 8.5%
| ~1%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| '''~34.2%'''
| ~2%
| ~2%
| ~61.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Mie Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 22.9%
| 4.2%
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| '''~35.1%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~62.9%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Shiga Prefecture]]
| 3%
| 26.7%
| 3.2%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| ~0
| '''~37.9%'''
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~61.1%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Kyoto Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 17.5%
| 3.4%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| '''~31.9%'''
| ~2%
| ~2%
| ~66.1%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Osaka Prefecture]]
| 5.9%
| 15.6%
| ~3%
| 3%
| 5.2%
| ~1%
| '''~33.7%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~64.3%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Hyōgo Prefecture]]
| 8.6%
| 12.2%
| 3.1%
| ~3%
| 3.1%
| ~3%
| '''~33%'''
| ~2%
| ~2%
| ~63%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Nara Prefecture]]
| 4.2%
| 17.3%
| ~1%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| '''~30.5%'''
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~68.5%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Wakayama Prefecture]]
| 9.6%
| 13.5%
| ~3%
| ~1%
| 3.5%
| ~2%
| '''~32.6%'''
| ~0
| ~0
| ~67.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Tottori Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 10.4%
| 8.8%
| 4%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| '''~31.2%'''
| ~3%
| ~1%
| ~64.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Shimane Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="4" | ~4%
| 18.4%
| 6.5%
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~3%
| '''~30.9%'''
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~66.1%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Okayama Prefecture]]
| 16.6%
| 5.1%
| 3%
| 5.9%
| ~3%
| 0
| '''~33.6%'''
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~63.4%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Hiroshima Prefecture]]
| 4.4%
| 35.3%
| 3.6%
| ~2%
| 4.9%
| ~1%
| '''~51.2%'''
| ~2%
| ~2%
| ~44.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Yamaguchi Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 21.9%
| 3.8%
| ~2%
| 3.8%
| ~1%
| '''~35.5%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~62.5%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Tokushima Prefecture]]
| 19.8%
| 6.7%
| ~0
| ~1%
| 3%
| ~1%
| '''~31.5%'''
| ~1%
| ~1%
| ~66.5%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Kagawa Prefecture]]
| 14%
| 18%
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| ~1%
| '''~39%'''
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~60%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Ehime Prefecture]]
| 9.3%
| 6.7%
| 5.3%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| ~1%
| '''~27.3%'''
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~69.7%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Kōchi Prefecture]]
| 6.3%
| 6.3%
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~3%
| ~1%
| '''~17.6%'''
| 5.5%
| ~0
| ~76.9%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Fukuoka Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="2" | ~2%
| 24.1%
| 3.3%
| 3%
| 3.3%
| ~2%
| '''~37.7%'''
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~59.3%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Saga Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="4" | ~4%
| 21.9%
| 6.1%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| '''~40%'''
| ~0
| ~0
| ~60%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Nagasaki Prefecture]]
| 4.9%
| 19.5%
| 3.6%
| 5.1%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| '''~39.1%'''
| ~2%
| 5.1%
| ~53.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Kumamoto Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="2" | ~2%
| 28.4%
| ~3%
| ~2%
| ~2%
| ~1%
| '''~38.4%'''
| ~0
| ~1%
| ~61.6%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Ōita Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 20.7%
| 4.7%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| ~1%
| '''~35.4%'''
| ~2%
| ~1%
| ~61.6%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Miyazaki Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="3" | ~3%
| 18.2%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| ~3%
| 3.3%
| '''~33.5%'''
| 3.8%
| ~1%
| ~61.7%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Kagoshima Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="2" | ~2%
| 29.8%
| ~1%
| ~2%
| ~3%
| 6%
| '''~43.8%'''
| ~3%
| ~0
| ~53.2%
|- style="text-align:center;"
| [[Okinawa Prefecture]]
| data-sort-value="0" | ~0
| ~0
| ~0
| ~0
| 3.6%
| ~0
| '''~3,6%'''
| ~0
| ~3
| ~93.4%
|- style="background:#9ff;"
! Japan
! 4%
! 12.9%
! 4.1%
! ~3%
! 3%
! ~2.5%
! '''~29.5%'''
! ~1%
! ~2%
! ~67.5%
|}

== See also ==
{{portal|Japan|Religion}}
* [[Ainu religion]]
* [[History of religion in Japan]]
* [[Koshinto]]
* [[Religion in Asia]]
* [[Religion in China]]
* [[Religion in Korea]]
* [[Religion in Mongolia]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin}}
* John Breen & Mark Teeuwen. ''Shinto in History''. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0700711708}}
* John Breen & Mark Teeuwen. ''A New History of Shinto''. Blackwell, 2010. {{ISBN|1405155167}}
* {{citation |last=Craig|first=Edward |title=[[Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy|Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Volume 7]] |year=1998 |publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-07310-3}}
* Delmer Brown & John Whitney Hall, eds. ''[[The Cambridge History of Japan]]'', vol. 1: ''Ancient Japan''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993. {{ISBN|0521223520}}
* [[H. Byron Earhart|Earhart, H. Byron]]. ''Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity'', 5th edn. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 2014. 
* Steven Engler & Gregory P. Grieve. ''Historicizing “Tradition” in the Study of Religion''. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2005. {{ISBN|3110188759}}. pp.&nbsp;92–108
* {{cite book|first=Ikuo |last=Higashibaba |title=Christianity in Early Modern Japan: Kirishitan Belief and Practice |publisher=Brill |date=2002 |isbn=90-04-12290-7}}
* Inoue, Nobutaka et al. ''Shinto, a Short History''. London: Routledge Curzon, 2003. [https://www.questia.com/library/104550913/shinto-a-short-history online]
* LeFebvre, J. (2015). ‘Christian Wedding Ceremonies: “Nonreligiousness” in Contemporary Japan’, ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'', 42(2), 185–203. http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4454
* LeFebvre, J. (2021). ‘The Oppressor's Dilemma: How Japanese State Policy toward Religion Paved the Way for Christian Weddings’, ''Journal of Religion in Japan''. https://brill.com/view/journals/jrj/aop/article-1163-22118349-20210001/article-1163-22118349-20210001.xml
* Victoria Lyon-Bestor, Theodore C. Bestor, & Akiko Yamagata, eds. ''Routledge Handbook of Japanese Culture and Society''. Routledge, 2011. ASIN B004XYN3E4, {{ISBN|0415436494}}
* Matsunaga, Daigan; Matsunaga, Alicia (1996), ''Foundation of Japanese Buddhism, Vol. 1: The Aristocratic Age'', Los Angeles; Tokyo: Buddhist Books International. {{ISBN|0-914910-26-4}}
* Matsunaga, Daigan, Matsunaga, Alicia (1996), ''Foundation of Japanese Buddhism, Vol. 2: The Mass Movement'' (Kamakura and Muromachi Periods), Los Angeles; Tokyo: Buddhist Books International. {{ISBN|0-914910-28-0}}
* {{cite web|last=Matsunami|first=Kodo|year=2004|title=A guide to Japanese Buddhism|place =Tokyo|publisher=Japan Buddhist Federation |url=http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/guidejapanbuddhismbm6.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202003246/http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/guidejapanbuddhismbm6.pdf |archive-date=2013-02-02 |access-date=15 May 2021}}
* {{cite book |last=Picken |first=Stuart D. B. |year=1994 |title=Essentials of Shinto an Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn. |url=http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=495174 |isbn=9780313369797 |ref=none}}
* Reader, Ian. ''Religion in Contemporary Japan''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1991.
* Shimazono, Susumu (2004). ''From Salvation to Spirituality: Popular Religious Movements in Modern Japan''. Japanese Society Series. Melbourne, Vic.: Trans Pacific Press. {{ISBN|978-1-8768-4312-0}}.
* {{cite book|last=Sims|first=Barbara|title=Traces That Remain: A Pictorial History of the Early Days of the Bahá'í Faith Among the Japanese|publisher=Japan Bahá'í Publishing Trust|year=1989|location=Osaka, Japan|url =http://bahai-library.com/sims_traces_that_remain}}
* Staemmler, Birgit & Ulrich Dehn, eds. ''Establishing the Revolutionary: An Introduction to New Religions in Japan''. Münster: LIT, 2011. {{ISBN|978-3-643-90152-1}}
* George Williams. ''Shinto''. Philadelphia, Penn.: Chelsea House, 2004. {{ISBN|0791080978}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* Barbara R. Ambros. ''Women in Japanese religions''. NY: New York University Press, 2015.
* Roy C. Amore et al. ''World religions: Eastern traditions'', 5th edn. NY: Oxford University Press, 2019.
* Roger J. Davies. ''Japanese culture: the religious and philosophical foundations''. Tokyo: Tuttle, 2016.
* Ugo Dessì. ''Japanese religions and globalization''. Abingdon: Routledge, 2013.
* Lucia Dolce, ed. ''Japanese religions''. 4 vols. London: SAGE, 2012.
* {{cite book |author=Robert S. Ellwood |authorlink=Robert S. Ellwood |title=Introducing Japanese Religion |series=World Religions |place=London; New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-4157-7425-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/introducingjapan0000ellw/page/n2/mode/1up}}
* Robert S. Ellwood & Richard B. Pilgrim. ''Japanese religion: a cultural perspective''. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016.
* Joshua Frydman. ''The Japanese myths: a guide to gods, heroes and spirits''. London: Thames & Hudson, 2022.
* James W. Heisig et al., eds. ''Japanese philosophy: a sourcebook''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2011.
* Joseph Kitagawa. ''On understanding Japanese religion''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987.
* Takashi Miura. ''Agents of world renewal: the rise of yonaoshi gods in Japan''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2019.
* Mark Mullins. ''Yasukuni fundamentalism: Japanese religions and the politics of restoration''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2022.
* Hirochika Nakamaki. ''Japanese religions at home and abroad: Anthropological perspectives''. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor & Francis, 2012.
* Ronan Alves Pereira & Hideaki Matsuoka, eds. ''Japanese religions in and beyond the Japanese diaspora''. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California, 2007.
* Inken Prohl & John K. Nelson, eds. ''Handbook of contemporary Japanese religions''. Leiden: Brill, 2012.
* Rein Raud. ''Asian worldviews: religions, philosophies, political theories''. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2021.
* Ian Reader, Esben Andreasen, & Finn Stefánsson. ''Japanese religions: past and present''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1993.
* Wendy Smith et al., eds. ''Globalizing Asian religions: management and marketing''. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2019.
* Paul L. Swanson & Clark Chilson, eds. ''Nanzan guide to Japanese religions''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2006.
* Michiko Yusa. ''Japanese religions''. London: Routledge, 2002.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Religion in Japan}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{EB1911 poster|Japan/07_Religion|Japan VIII. Religion}}
* [https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/256321.pdf International Religious Freedom Report 2015: Japan], most recent [[International Religious Freedom Report]] by the [[United States Department of State]]'s [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor]]
* {{cite journal|url=http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/discussionpapers/Fitzgerald.html|title=Religion and the Secular in Japan: Problems in History, Social Anthropology and the Study of Religion|first=Tim|last=Fitzgerald|journal=Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies|date=2003-07-10}}
* Kavanagh, Christopher M. and Jong, Jonathan (2020). Is Japan Religious? 14(1), DOI 10.1558/jsrnc.39187, pp.&nbsp;152–180, https://journals.equinoxpub.com/OLDJSRNC/article/view/39187
* LeFebvre, J. (2015). Christian wedding ceremonies: “Nonreligiousness” in contemporary Japan. Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 42(2), 185–203. http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/nfile/4454
* LeFebvre, J. (2021). The Oppressor's Dilemma: How Japanese State Policy toward Religion Paved the Way for Christian Weddings. Journal of Religion in Japan. https://brill.com/view/journals/jrj/aop/article-1163-22118349-20210001/article-1163-22118349-20210001.xml

{{Japan topics}}
{{Asia in topic|Religion in|PS=Palestinian territories#Religion}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Religion In Japan}}
[[Category:Religion in Japan| ]]